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Amazon’s convenience store of the future makes me nervous
Half a decade in the making, and after a year of intensive testing, Amazon's cashier-free convenience store is opening to the public. Amazon Go, located at the base of the company's Seattle HQ, is the first of its kind: a convenience store with no checkouts, no lines and no stress. Simply walk in, select your purchases and walk out -- a seamless, frictionless, fast way to grab a sandwich for lunch. At least that's the story Amazon wants you to know.
Amazon's checkout-free store opens to the public January 22nd
Amazon's bid to automate the convenience store is finally ready for the public. The company has confirmed that the Amazon Go store attached to its new Seattle headquarters will be open to non-employees on January 22nd, or more than a year later than planned. The premise remains the same. You have to scan in with a smartphone app when you enter the store, but it's largely friction-free beyond that. A computer vision AI system tracks the items you remove from the shelves, letting you walk out without talking to a cashier or using a self-checkout machine. The only staff you'll likely see are for ID checking (when buying alcohol), greeters and the kitchen.
Amazon's automated convenience stores edge closer to public debut
Last year, Amazon opened its first convenience store embedded with its "just walk out technology." Located in Seattle, the Amazon Go store, which lets shoppers walk in, load up on the items they want and walk out without having to pay for the items in a checkout line, has been testing its technology with Amazon employees. Now, as Bloomberg reports, the company has worked through some of the hangups with the technology and is making moves towards opening its store and others to the public.
The checkout line’s death knell | The Future IRL
We're all only about ten years away from sauntering into stores, grabbing whatever it is we want, then quick-stepping out like we stole it. It'll be possible because many shops will be ringed with machine vision-enabling cameras and sensors that keep tabs on what you take while inside and then charge it to the corresponding app as you leave. Analysts say the big shift is being ushered in by retailers trying to stave off the online shopping explosion. People tend to cite crowds and lines as reasons they avoid stores, so the hope is that tech will be the savior of the remaining brick and mortar mainstays. But while that checkout change might thrill some customers, it'll also dramatically change employment for low-skilled retail jobs and comes with a host of privacy concerns.
Amazon's checkout-less Go stores could be coming to the UK
Amazon's checkout-free grocery stores could be coming to the UK and Europe, if its recent intellectual property filings are anything to go by. Bloomberg reports that the retailer has successfully registered trademarks for slogans "No Lines. No Checkout. (No, Seriously.)" and "No Queue. No Checkout. (No, Seriously.)" with the UK Intellectual Property Office, hinting that it's already planning to its high-tech Amazon Go stores outside of the US.
Amazon's store of the future has bugs to work out
Amazon was planning on a public launch of its cashier-less Go convenience store at the end of March according to The Wall Street Journal, but the retailer has hit a few speed bumps. The test location in Seattle uses cameras, sensors and algorithms to track customers while they shop so they don't have to wait in line to check out. Unfortunately, the system has trouble keeping up if there are more than 20 people in the store at one time. It also has difficulty tracking items if they're moved from a specific location on the shelf.
How Rebecca Minkoff uses tech to make her fashion stores stand out
Nike and Adidas aren't the only lifestyle brands designing their retail spaces with technology in mind. Others such as Rebecca Minkoff, a fashion label based out of New York City, are taking similar steps by implementing things like smart mirrors and, most recently, self-checkout at its boutiques. Although the latter feature is far less advanced than what Amazon's Go grocery stores will offer, it's yet another example of how the brick-and-mortar landscape is changing in several industries.
ICYMI: Amazon wants to revolutionize grocery shopping
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: Amazon created a smart store in Seattle which is currently open to just employees but next year will open to all. It lets people saunter in, grab whatever they need, then leave without formally checking out. The trick is in using the Amazon Go app and all the sensors within the store, which track which items are placed in a basket and charges shoppers accordingly. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech created a 'TuneTable,' an interactive table with moving coaster-sized tiles people use to both program and then play music. If you're interested, the Guinness Book of World Records video for candles is here, and the behind-the-scenes video from Rogue One is here. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Amazon Go is a grocery store with no checkout lines
It looks like those rumors of Amazon convenience stores were true. The online shopping giant unveiled Amazon Go today, its spin on brick and mortar retail. It uses computer vision, a whole bunch of sensors and deep learning to let you walk into a store, sign in with an Amazon Go app, fill up your bags and leave without stopping for a checkout line. Amazon is calling it a "Just Walk Out Shopping" experience, a self-descriptive name if there ever was one. The company is starting out with a large store in Seattle, but it's clearly meant to serve as a model for other locations and retail stores.
